Love in a Winter Realm
by LDSAuthor2013
Summary: The Lord of the Dark Realm in the Digital World is in love with one of his subordinates, but she doesn't know it, and is on a mission that could very well kill her. Can the Queen of the Ice Realm lend a caring hand, before it all goes down hill? Or, will she be the cause of it blowing up in the Lord's face? Collaboration Story with shadowkat78.
1. Chapter 1

**HEY GUYS! GUESS WHO'S BACK WITH A BRAND-NEW FAN-FICTION, ONE THAT WILL BLOW ALL OTHERS RIGHT OUT OF THE WATER! ONE THAT WILL LIVE ON AS THE FAN-FICTION ABOVE ALL OTHER FAN-FICTIONS! ONE THAT—**

_LDS! JUST GET TO IT, ALREADY, DUDE!_

**OH…SORRY, SHADOWKAT78…ANYWAYS, GUYS…THIS IS A STORY ABOUT TWO DIGIMON AND THEIR PATHS TOWARDS FINDING LOVE IN THE DIGITAL WORLD. ONE IS THE LORD OF THE DARK SIDE OF THE DIGITAL WORLD, AND THE OTHER IS THE QUEEN OF ICE. LORD OF DARKNESS NEEDS TO FIND HAPPINESS WITH A YOUNG SUBORDINATE OF HIS, AND THE LADY OF ICE WANTS TO HELP HIM. BUT…WILL THEY SUCCEED IN GETTING HER TO LOVE HIM…?**

_OF COURSE THEY WILL, LDS! OTHERWISE, WHY WOULD WE BE WRITING THIS?!_

**(sigh) SHADOWKAT…ANYWAYS, LET US BEGIN OUR TALE!**

**Collaborators: **LDSAuthor2013 ; shadowkat78

* * *

"Something is afoul in the Digital World this day," I muttered, looking down at the enormous black book laid out in front of me. Beelzemon, my friend and lieutenant, frowned and looked over my shoulder, looking down at the papers through the light of my six weirlights, floating around my shoulders.

"Um…excuse me, Master, but isn't everything foul in this god-forsaken land we call the Dark Realm?" I stared over at Beelzemon and let out a long, low chuckle.

"I'm not talking about the Dark Realm, Beelzemon. I'm talking about the Digital World in general. Myotismon, the Damned, is out there, wrangling an army of the most demonic Digimon in the world, and HaloSeraphimon is doing nothing about it! In fact, he's cut off all relations to us of the Dark Realm, despite the fact that we are among the few Dark Digimon that shall never stand beside Myotismon!" Frowning, I closed the book, the six silver demon eyes on the cover snapping open to watch the book and keep it safe. "I don't understand why HaloSeraphimon would do this to us."

Beelzemon shrugged, rolling his leather-bound shoulders back in exhaustion. "Eh, who can tell, what with that crazy bastard in control these days? I swear, things were better when Azulongmon was in charge, and the other four Sovereign Beasts, and not this Golden Council of Order HaloSeraphimon had cooked up for us."

"The Golden Council may not be perfect…" I started, but I stopped, shaking my head slowly. The Biker Demon beside me smirked, clapping me on the shoulder.

"See, Master PhantomDevimon? Even you can't admit his Council is stable!" I nodded again, stepping away from the large, velvet throne I had been sitting in, and walked back out into the center of the room, Beelzemon right beside me.

"Yeah, but that makes me worry even further, Beelzemon. If the Council is so unstable…why has HaloSeraphimon cut off connection to one of the closest allies to them?" I paused, looking around the room a bit. "It worries me, Beelzemon. With Myotismon growing in strength, and HaloSeraphimon turning a cold shoulder to us…it scares me."

"You, _scared_? Never, Phantom, it's _simply_ not possible."

My heart skipped a beat, and slowly, I looked up towards the voice. Sitting in the curve of one of the stained-glass windows, silver hair falling down her back, dressed in a dress of shadows, was positively the most beautiful being I had ever known. She was as ruthless as she was tender, as vicious as she was peaceful, as sarcastic as she was sincere. I smiled faintly, my shadowy cloak swirling behind me slightly.

"LadyDevimon. You know it's rude to listen in on conversations that do not involve you." The Fallen Angel Digimon laughed, jumping off the windowsill and landing a ways off from me. Slowly, she sauntered over, her hips swaying ever-so-slightly, until she stood beside me and Beelzemon.

"Oh, come on, Phantom, you know that there is nothing I love more than listening to gossip." I smirked, glad that more than half of my face was hidden under the dark, skull-like mask I wore.

"This isn't gossip, LadyDevimon. We were just talking about how odd it is that HaloSeraphimon has cut off connections with the Dark Realm." LadyDevimon gave me a frown and turned away, a hand on her hip as she looked out the window into the dark sky.

"Oh he has, has he? Well, that isn't too good for us." Smiling, she winked at me and unfurled the two black wings that swirled behind her. "Leave it to me and BlackWarGreymon, Phantom. I'll go to the Light Realm and figure out what all this is! Don't worry, you can trust me with this, right?"

I nodded, slowly, looking down at the ground a bit. "Of course I can trust you, LadyDevimon," I said slowly. The Dark Digimon smiled and placed one of her hands on my shoulder, smiling at me.

"Then don't worry. I'll figure out what's going on!" Smiling, she stepped back and flew up to the window. "I'll be back soon, Phantom!" Without another word, she was gone. I sighed, watching her go into the moon light. However, a certain Dark Digimon, still in the room, tore me from my moment.

"Geeze, it's a wonder one of you hasn't professed love for the other yet! Honestly, do us all a favor, Master, and just tell her you love her!" I shook my head at Beelzemon, walking back to my throne.

"No, I could never do that, Beelzemon. Besides, she's just toying around with me. She doesn't actually love me…" Slowly, I looked up at the Biker. "…Does she?"

Beelzemon shrugged, pulling one of his handguns from his belt and playing around with it a bit. "Who am I to tell you if she is or not? You'd have to ask her yourself, Master PhantomDevimon. Though, I suppose that ship has sailed already."

I frowned, looking back at him. "What do you mean by that, Beelzemon?" The Biker Demon frowned and pointed his pistol at the vase at the far end of the hall.

"Well, she's going to speak to HaloSeraphimon with BlackWarGreymon. Halo has cut off all connection with us, so he obviously sees us as enemies now, which confounds me to no end…but continuing on. If LadyDevimon and BlackWarGreymon, two of your highest-ranking Generals, show up at his front door, he'll assume we're attacking…" Suddenly, he squeezed the trigger of his pistol, firing all twelve shots in the magazine at the vase, shattering it. Sighing, he turned back to me, slipping the handgun into his belt. "…and he'll kill them."

My eyes widened in shock. I had not thought of that. Groaning, I slumped into my throne, my head in my hands. "Ohhh, Beelzemon, what am I going to do? What _can_ I do?" Sighing, I looked up at my friend and shook my head. "A life without LadyDevimon…could be the death of me, my friend."

"Don't worry, there is still hope, Master," Beelzemon said, resting his gloved hand firmly on my shoulder. "LadyDevimon isn't stupid. She'll rest somewhere before travelling all the way. And our closest ally she can stay with is…" My vision cleared, Beelzemon's words seeming more simple to me. Nodding, I stood up and grinned to him.

"The Lady of Ice! Beelzemon, of course! I'll have her stay in the Winter Realm, and I'll go and try and show my love to her." Grinning, I stepped down from my throne, and then shook my head, stepping up to the seat again. "No, no, I can't leave. Love may be important to me, but I am master of the Dark Realm of the Digitial World. I can't just up and leave to chase some fantasy of finding love in the middle of darkness!"

"Oh, like you would be leaving it in incapable hands if you did, Master!" Beelzemon said, smirking. "Myself, SkullGreymon, Phantomon, and Diabolicamon are more than capable of keeping this place safe without you. You need to do this, man. So, go and do it!" I nodded, smiling back at him. Slowly, I stepped back from the throne again, and walked back to the doors of the throne room. Slowly, I looked back at him, and smiled.

"Thank you, Beelzemon." The Biker shrugged and sat down on the arm of the throne, shrugging.

"Hey, no problem, Master. Just go get what your heart desires most in life!" I nodded, walking out into the hall. Once I was far enough away from him, I plucked one of the weirlights from around my shoulders and held it out in front of me. Smirking, I closed my eyes and thought of the coldest, darkest of nights. Instantly, the usually bright purple flame turned icy blue. I grinned, and stared into the depths of the fire.

"Lady WinterNekomon. Are you there? It's your old friend PhantomDevimon…Yeah, yeah, I know we haven't talked in about a month…yes, yes, I understand, but listen…I have a favor I need of you…"


	2. Chapter 2

_YO GUYS!__WELCOME TO CHAPTER TWO OF LOVE IN A WINTER REALM! How are ya? Amazing? Stupendous? Phantasmagoric? INCANDESCENT!?_

**GEEZ SHADOW, AND YOU TOLD ME TO HURRY UP. (SIGH)**

_(BLUSH) SH-SHUT UP LDS! WHATEVER, LET'S GET ON WITH IT!_

**Collaborators:** LDSAuthor2013 ; shadowkat78

* * *

"HEY, SNOWSHADOWMON!" I shouted over my shoulder. My best friend and lieutenant appeared in her usual way, a flurry of snow in a shadowed corner of my room.

"You called, my lady?" SnowShadowmon kneeled down before me, her long kimono-styled ninja dress pooled around her, the long sleeves covering the bottom half of her face. I sighed at the young snow kunoichi Digimon and relaxed a bit in my chair.

"You can cut the 'my lady' crap SnowShadowmon, nobody is around." She looked around, concluded that no one was around, and got up to belly flop on my bed, bringing a smile instantly to my face.

"Ugg, I freaking love your bed!" She moaned into my pillows. I smiled. SnowShadowmon is one of my best female friends, and while I have no problems letting people know that, she insist on keeping it a secret. Something about not wanting the others to think she had special treatment.

"Anyway WinterNekomon," she sat up quickly and put on her poker face, so I know some business is coming, "we know have intelligence on the Fire Realm as well as the hated Asuramon." She growled out the name. "And then there's Myotismon as well, and HaloSeraphimon threatening our friend of the Dark Realm… the point is that we have a lot to discuss."

I nodded. "Yes, you are right my friend. But one thing we don't need is this idiotic Golden Council of Order. I didn't even get to speak last meeting!"

My friend nodded. "Ah yes, if only our beloved Azulongmon were still here to lead us! Along with the other four Sovereign beasts, the Digital World was so peaceful…"

I sighed. "It doesn't matter right now, my friend. What we need to focus on now is the Fire Realm. We know the Light Realm is closely allied with them, almost as close as the Dark Realm is with us. I believe we need to send a scout, a representative, to talk this out with Asuramon."

SnowShadowmon nodded. "I agree whole-heartedly, my lady. I have already sent a message to the Fire Realm. Asuramon is expecting them, and there will be a fleet of our soldiers following them, just in case. Asuramon is not to be fully trusted. Now, I would like to send SnowGalamon and IceDevimon, but they are the strongest generals. I suppose Daipenmon and Korikakumon would suffice. They are some of the stronger generals."

I nodded to show my agreement. "Yes, send them at once to debrief. Tell them to leave immediately after they gather their supplies." SnowShadowmon bowed again, and left my chamber.

Now I could finally breath. As I stood from the chair I was sitting on, I stretched and let my mind wonder. I wondered how PhantomDevimon was. I could picture him now, sitting on his throne, looking so regal, commanding his lieutenant Beelzemon and his generals. Ah, he hasn't spoken to me in so long. I wonder how things are with…

I stopped stretching and frowned, my eyes downcast. I remember now, he loves LadyDevimon. She's so luck, to be around him so much. How in the Ice Realm can she not see how he loves her? It's obvious, even to my generals. She better not hurt him, I thought fiercely, or I'll…

I sighed. I'll what? Destroying her would end my friendship with PhantomDevimon. Ignoring her would show blatant favoritism, even if she isn't of my court. It really isn't any of my business, is she loves him or not, and I know she does, who doesn't? PhantomDevimon is one of the most sought after males from our two realms. He wouldn't fall for just anybody, she has to be special. I'm fine with just being friends, if it means I can still be close to him. I mean, I'm sure I'm fine…

Somehow, when I was in my ramblings, my door opened. In walked SnowGalamon. "My Lady." She said.

"….."

"My Lady!"

"….."

"MY LADY!"

"Waa!" I shrieked, scared out of my thoughts. "SnowGalamon! What are you doing in my chamber! You could have knocked!" I yelled, a light blush on my cheeks from all my thoughts on PhantomDevimon.

"My Lady," she sighed, "I did knock, three times to be exact. I came in here to tell you that you have a message in the throne room. It is from Lord PhantomDevimon."

My breath caught in my throat. Well, speak of the Devimon…if you pardon the pun.

"Ah yes. Why didn't you say so? I will take it immediately. You may go." She bowed her way out. When SnowGalamon had left, I hurriedly tried to rid my face of its blush, and left for the throne room. On the way there, I tried to calm my mind.

"Calm down, WinterNekomon," I chastened myself softly as I walked briskly down the icy hallway. "Breathe, in and out, in and out. Get rid of that blush. Don't act nervous. Be natural. It's not like this is the first time you've talked to him. Breathe."

At the throne room, I saw an icy blue portal-like window. One of PhantomDevimon's weirlights. As he had shown us back at the beginning of his rule in the Dark Realm, the ghostly flames of lost souls could do much more than be used as weapons. They could be used for communication, for instance, as well as other surprising things that he hinted at, but never told us straight up. His handsome face was patiently waiting for me, the dark, skull-like mask on the upper half of his face hiding all but his bright red eyes from my sight.

"Lady WinterNekomon. Are you there? It's your old friend PhantomDevimon." I smiled and sat down in the large glacial throne, waving to the Dark Lord.

"Phantom! What have you been doing? You know you haven't spoken to me in a month!" The King of Nightmares nodded, sighing a bit.

"Yeah, yeah, I know we haven't talked in about a month." I nodded, putting on a slightly cold, scornful face. Which was hard, what with him staring at me like that…focus, Nekomon! Focus!

"Phantom, you know I'm not here to just talk to when you're bored. I have my duties as well." PhantomDevimon nodded, clearing his throat, getting ready to speak.

"Yes, yes, I understand, but listen…I have a favor I need of you…" Instantly I stopped, my scorn leaving my face. A favor? What could PhantomDevimon need of me?

"A favor? And what would this be?" PhantomDevimon smiled, relaxing a bit on the other side of the weirlight.

"I need you to house two of my generals till I arrive there. Tell them to wait for me." I nodded, surprised by the coincidence of our plans being so similar in structure.

"Hmm, it sounds easy enough. May I ask who the generals are?" Instantly as I asked, Phantom's grin fell into a small frown.

"Oh, it's BlackWarGreymon and LadyDevimon." I nodded slowly, biting the inside of my lip. I would have been fine having BlackWarGreymon staying, he doesn't do much other than train and stare at the night sky. But LadyDevimon…why did it have to be her? Slowly, I nodded again, a weak smile on my face.

"Ah, of course I'll house them for you, as long as you need. See you later then." PhantomDevimon grinned, nodding back to me, and making a strange pain form in my chest.

"Yeah, in person. Thanks again Neko!" He smiled, and cut the connection. It's a good thing he did, because somehow, I started crying, clutching the area of my chest around my heart.

* * *

_AWW, POOR NEKO! HOW COULD YOU PHANTOM!_

**HOW ARE YOU BLAMING MY CHARACTER SHADOW?!**

_'CUZ IT'S HIS FAULT LDS!_

**OH WHATEVER. I'LL DO THE DISCLAIMER.**

**ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS OF DIGIMON, TOEI ANIMATION AND BANDAI! WE OWN NOTHING BUT OUR OWN ORIGINAL CHARACTERS!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AND…WE'RE BACK! HOPE WE DIDN'T LEAVE YOU GUYS WAITING TOO LONG FOR THIS UPDATE! IF YOU HAVE BEEN, WELL…SORRY, BUT I'VE BEEN TRYING! I'VE BEEN WORKING HARD, HOUR AFTER HOUR, PUTTING OFF ALL OTHER UPDATES, TOILING IN MY BASEMENT, JUST TO APPEASE YOU, MY FINE FRIENDS.**

_SERIOUSLY, LDS?!_

**(snorts) NO, I GOT THIS DONE THE EVENING YOU SENT ME CHAPTER 2! I JUST WANTED TO WAIT A WHILE BEFORE UPLOADING THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

_LDS! (rage in her eyes)_

**OH ! #! #%$#$&^&*! (starts booking it in the other direction)**

_(running after him) YEAH YOU'D BETTER RUN! OH, AND PLEASE ENJOY CHAPTER 3!_

* * *

I frowned slightly as I walked briskly through Hoar Frost Forests that formed between the Ice Realm and the Dark Realm. When the thorny, dubious Adder Trees of Darkness met the bitter chills of the Neko's Winter World, it could only bring the large, spiky frost that consumed everything. I grimaced as I accidentally brushed up against one of the razor-sharp ice thorns, scrapping across the exposed skin on my arm. Certainly, I can withstand an onslaught of one-hundred Mega Digimon, face innumerable odds in battle…but even I could get chilly.

Frowning again, I pulled my cloak of darkness around me a bit tighter and trudged onward, my weirlights disparately trying to keep my form warm. The Hoar Frost Forest wasn't my first choice of route to reach Neko's castle, but after the ShadowLocomon to the Ice Realm left, with me not on it, I had no other choice. My only hope was that BlackWarGreymon and LadyDevimon were able to reach WinterNekomon safely, without running into any trouble. Then, I'd just have to get to them as fast as I could.

But walking was getting quite tiring, quite quickly. If only there was some other way…

Suddenly, my eyes widened, and I slapped my hand against my forehead. Of course! Instantly, all six of my enormous, phantom bat wings tore through the back of my cloak, filling the winter scene with infinite blackness. Grinning, I looked up to the trees above, took a breath in, and shot upward.

…and then instantly fell back down to the ground, icicles, hoar frost, and adder thorns sticking out of my body in every which way.

"Augh…" I muttered, slowly sitting up. "That's right…I already tried that…twice…" Groaning, I stood up and pulled the thorns and icicles from my skin, my grimace growing even further as the pain increased and slight bits of data flowed from my wounds.

"Damn it…why can't things go my way, for once in my life?" I continued muttering darkly to myself as I continued to stomp through the uncomfortable forest. Gripping silently, I plucked one of my weirlights again and whispered some words into it. Instantly, the flame turned a bright, neon green. Smiling, I held the flames over my wounded flesh, instantly repair the damages. Smiling, I released the weirlight and turned back to the road, feeling completely renewed.

"Perfect!" I announced with a bit of enthusiasm on the end of my voice. "Now I can keep going!" I smirked, looking on ahead, and starting back down the path again. Only fifteen miles more to go.

oOoOoOo

"Haff…haff…haff…I…haff…made it…" I muttered, pushing my exhausted body through a small opening at the end of the Hoar Frost Forest. The path had become so unused now, that the exit to the Ice Realm had started to be overgrown. In the end, I had to cut as much of the thorny death plant away as I could with my scythe, then jam my body through the hole.

Groaning again, I fell out the hole and into a deep bank of snow. Instantly I sighed, the soft, powdery chill of the flakes coating my now shredded body and pride, and blanketing me in comfort. I sighed again, feeling a strange want to just lay there, and just fall…asleep…

"Master PhantomDevimon, sir? Are you all right?"

Slowly I lifted my head out of the snow bank, blowing flakes out of my mask. Standing over me, wearing her long white and ice-blue kimono, pale blue scarf around her neck, and twin winter katanas over her shoulders, was SnowShadowmon. The Winter Kunoichi Digimon was a well-known member of WinterNekomon's personal guard, the strongest ninja Digimon I'd ever known. And I'd know, I've been at the receiving end of many of her attacks for longer than I can remember. Smiling at the young girl, I nodded and pulled myself out of snow, dusting myself off a bit.

"Yes, yes, SnowShadowmon, I'm fine. The Hoar Frost Forest was a bit overgrown, that's all." Slowly I looked back to the forest, the frost already trying to grow over the opening I'd hacked into it. "We may need to cut it down some, if we are to preserve this path between the castles."

SnowShadowmon nodded, frowning. "Yes, I suppose so, Master PhantomDevimon." I nodded, turning back to her.

"Good. Oh, and Snow?" The Digimon nodded, frowning. "Please, call me Phantom. There's no need to be so formal with me, okay? After all, we are friends."

Instantly, the stoic, unemotional, unwavering façade of SnowShadowmon's vanished, and a bright smile graced her features. "Oh thank God!" she cried, smiling. "I was afraid I'd have to keep that face the entire visit you were having with us! I can pull of stern and serious, no problem, but not for twenty four hours straight!"

I snickered, shaking my head. "So, I'm guessing you're the Digimon Neko called, Snow?"

"Yeah," SnowShadowmon said, smiling brightly. "She wanted to make certain that you got to her castle safely. And, next to Neko herself, I'm the strongest Digimon in the Ice Realm, so you should be safe." I smirked, shaking my head.

"Ah, Neko, always being overprotective of me. I kind of miss it, honestly…the two of us, Beelzemon, you, LadyDevimon and HaloSeraphimon, travelling around the Digital World, back when we were just rookies." I smiled, looking up at the crystal towers of Icegarde Castle. "It's hard to believe how close we were back. We still are, but being in three different realms makes it hard on us."

"That, and the fact that Halo for some reason wants to cut off connections to our realms," SnowShadowmon said, frowning. I nodded, grimacing as a cold breath of wind brushed across my cloak.

"Oh, I'm certain Angel-boy's just going through some problems back in his realm, and this will just fade away. Now then, shall we go to the castle and into the warmth?" SnowShadowmon nodded, smiling.

"Of course, Neko will be very glad to see you, as will your companions." Smiling, the Kunoichi turned into a flurry of snow. "See if you can keep up, Phantom!" And in a flash, she disappeared into the wind. Grimacing, I turned towards the castle again, sighing. So close…and yet…so very far still to go. Groaning, I slowly walked up the ice path towards Icegarde, my whole body shaking with every step.


	4. Chapter 4

_GOOD MORROW, MY FAIR READERS! I APOLOGIZE FOR THE WAIT, BUT AFTER 15 YEARS, THE CHICKEN POX HAS FINALLY GOTTEN TO ME. MY MOTHER FREAKED!_

**YOU HAVE THE CHICKEN POX, SHADOW?! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING UP?! GET IN BED AND GO TO SLEEP! (forces her into bed and tucks her in) I'LL BE BACK LATER WITH CHICKEN SOUP AND CHAMOMILE LOTION! (runs out)**

_(sighs while shaking head) LDS…WHATEVER, HERE'S CHAPTER 4!_

"ARGH! Were the ice kitten is he!? I mean seriously, Lady and Grey have been here for about two hours now!"

I was in my room, yelling at the top of my lungs. But, can you really blame me? Phantom should have been here already, and Lady and Grey were about to go if he wasn't here soon. I was about ready to send out a search party when Snow materialized into my room, scaring me out of my rant.

"My Lady," she said, while formally kneeling, "Lord PhantomDevimon awaits for you in the throne room. He wishes to apologize and inform you as to why he was so late." YES! He was finally here! I let my happiness show with a brief smile. "Thank you Snow, and no one's in here so feel free to stop the façade."

She got up and smiled. "Alright, just get your tushy out there before Lady comes and steals his attention. He owes you, remember?" I nodded and exited the room. While I didn't exactly run, I walked faster than ever before to the throne room. Just one more corner to round and…

"PHANTOM!" I stopped short, my smile fading. Of course, LadyDevimon was already there. She is always there. "Phantom, what are you doing here? Checking up on us already? We barely left!"

"Stop eavesdropping Neko, just go out there…" I kept mumbling to myself. I can't go out there, and ruin Phantom's chance! But, it is tempting. Maybe I'll leave, after I hear Phantom's reply…

"Lady! I finally caught up to you…guys! You guys!"

_Smooth Phantom_, I thought bitterly. _She totally didn't catch that_.

"Phantom, you never answered my question. Why are you here?" I heard the slight confusion in Lady's voice.

"We-well Lady, I-" I couldn't take it anymore, and burst into the room.

"PHANTOM!" I yelled, with a big, fake smile on my face. "It's about time you got here. What took you so long? SnowShadowmon said you wished to speak with me."

PhantomDevimon looked over his shoulder, as his back was to me. As soon as he looked away I caught the brief flash of annoyance of LadyDevimon's face, but she threw it off quickly. Phantom smiled brightly, and I felt the fake smile on my face become a bit more real. "Neko! I apologize for being so late, but I missed the ShadowLocomon, and had to take the route through Hoar Frost Forest." At this, he paused and tugged his cloak tighter around his body. "By the way, we might want to make a different route between the castles. That one's a bit…troublesome." Sighing, he shook his head. "Thank you for holding up Lady and BlackWarGreymon for me, though."

"Not a problem Phantom." Slowly, I turned my gaze to the Fallen Angel Digimon behind him and acted like I only just noticed her now. "Oh," I said, turning to look at her, "I'm sorry, was I interrupting you two?"

"Of course n-" Phantom started, but Lady interrupted.

"Yes, a bit. Phantom was about to explain why he was here," she looked over at me, her blood-red eyes boring into my pale blues, "to _me_."

Hearing the venom in her words, I slipped my poker face on. "Oh really now? I believe I would like to hear that as well. You never did tell me why you wanted me to stop them here, Phantom." If PhantomDevimon felt the hostility in the air, he didn't show it. He just nodded to us, and shot a bright grin to each of us in turn.

"No problem, I'll just tell you both know, and Lady can tell BlackWarGreymon later, if you see him first Lady."

"Please do." Lady and I spoke in unison. I walked across the room to sit on my ice throne, and made some chairs out of snow for Phantom and Lady. Lady grimaced at the seat but nodded, slowly sitting down in the chair and shuddering. A whisper of a smile fell on my face. Unknown to her, Lady's chair was about 30 degrees below zero, while Phantom's was more comfortable. When we were all seated, and as comfortable as I could allow, just before Phantom began, SnowShadowmon and BlackWarGreymon walked in. "My Lady," said Snow, kneeling before me, "Sir BlackWarGreymon wished to join in this meeting with his comrades."

I nodded, the smile on my face becoming a bit more burdensome. "Of course. You might as well both stay, so we may all here this story." I conjured up two more chairs, then turned to Phantom, smiling. "Well Phantom, the gang's all here. Start whenever you'd like." Phantom nodded, smiling, and began.

"Well, when Lady and Grey left, I started a conversation with Beelzemon. We were talking about the old days, when we were all travelling together. You remember, Lady, Neko, Snow?" The mentioned group members nodded. "Well, we were talking, and I mentioned how I miss those times. So Beelze suggested that I join you two, Lady and Grey, on the mission to talk to HaloSeraphimon. Originally, I wasn't going to do it. I gotta realm to run." He nodded in my direction, and I knew how he felt. Sometimes you just wanna go somewhere, but your realm is depending on you. "So Beelzemon volunteered to manage the kingdom while I'm gone, and he's more than qualified, so I left immediately. After all, I'm interested in seeing what has happened to Halo, why he's doing this to us. And, if needs be…" suddenly, he raised his hand, and created a long scythe out of pure darkness, "…stop him at all costs."

"W-wow…" I stuttered, surprised. Phantom wasn't exactly the kind of guy to jump into a fight like that.

"Yeah," he said, then released the scythe and scratched the back of his neck nervously, "but…well, I missed the ShadowLocomon, and had to take the scenic route. And here I am, about two and a half hours later." He finished the story.

We all took a moment of silence, and it was SnowShadowmon who spoke first. "Well then, I think that just about sums it up. How long will you all be staying here, before you leave for your mission?"

The three guest took another moment. Now, BlackWarGreymon spoke. "I think another few days. Just to make sure we have all of our supplies, and are well rested. Do you mind at all, Lady WinterNekomon?" I didn't miss a beat.

"Of course I don't. This isn't the first, and it won't be the last time I house guests from the Dark realm. Take as much time as you need."

Phantom smiled again, beaming brightly. "Thanks Neko." Slowly, he barely stifled a yawn. "Well, it's been a long day. I think it's time for me to retire. Same room Neko?" I nodded. "You know where it is, right next to Grey's." Phantom nodded in thanks, and left the room. I sighed as he left, earning a small scowl from Lady. But if it was actually because of my sigh, or because Phantom wasn't around to see the venomous glares she was shooting me, I couldn't tell.

"Well," LadyDevimon and BlackWarGreymon both got up, "We're pretty beat too. Good night all." They both left.

I finally sighed, and let go of the tension I had built up. Slowly, I looked over at my friend SnowShadowmon and smiled. "Just you and me again Snow. Let's go to sleep." SnowShadowmon nodded brightly, disappearing into her usual flurry of snow.

"Of course, my Lady."

I smiled as she left, and then sighed into my throne, gripping my head softly. What was I gonna do?


	5. Chapter 5

**HEY GUYS, GUESS WHO'S BACK, AND BETTER AND BADDER THAN EVER BEFO—OOF!**

_LDSAUTHOR2013! (glares as she continues to kick the writer in the stomach) WHY! HAVEN'T! YOU! BEEN! UPDATING?!_

**(grimaces, clutching chest) DAMN YOU SHADOW…I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO UPDATE BECAUSE OF…STUFF…**

_STUFF? WHAT KIND OF LAME EXCUSE IS THAT?!_

**IT'S JUST THAT I WAS GOING THROUGH A WRITING FUNK FOR A LITTLE WHILE, PLUS I WAS WORKING ON APPLYING TO COLLEGES AND SCHOLARSHIPS, KEEPING MY GRADES UP AND MY PARENTS OFF MY BACK, AND I'M ALSO WORKING HARD ON MY FIRST ORIGINAL STORY, SO SORRY THAT I'M BUSY WITH LIVING IN THE ABYSS THAT IS REALITY RIGHT NOW!**

_…YOU COULD HAVE JUST TOLD ME THAT TO BEGIN WITH…_

**(pinches bridge of nose in annoyance) SHADOW…ANYWAYS, HERE'S CHAPTER 5…FINALLY…**

The winter night in Icegarde Castle is a beautiful experience very few are able to enjoy. Snowflakes fall slowly around the exterior of the castle, reflecting the light of the three winter moons throughout the castle, putting on a dazzling display of lights and colors. Icicles slowly creep along the outside of the castle, creating spell-binding visages along the walls and gateways of the castle, leaving the morning with new and beautiful motifs and murals that sprawl across the fortress of beauty. Within the castle, all is still. Not even a single FrostChumon can be seen or heard within its walls, the slightest cracking of ice or dropping of a pin resonating through the long, icy halls with a sort of ethereal majesty. With such peaceful stillness within and without Icegarde, it was no wonder that all who inhabited the castle quickly found themselves lost in their dreams, the blanket of sleep quickly fallen upon them.

However, despite all of the beautiful, serene stillness of the night, I could not find the ability within me to sleep.

I tossed and turned on the large and extremely comfortable bed that WinterNekomon had provided for me, groaning and moaning softly. I gripped my head from time to time, shaking myself vigorously in the hopes of finding some semblance of an answer to my problem. However, the longer I struggled, the more I came to realize the hopelessness of the matter.

I sighed, folding my arms behind my head as I stared up at the ceiling above me. I knew why sleep continued to elude me; my mind was too worried over the interactions with LadyDevimon this morning. I had thrown everything behind me while I manically pursued LadyDevimon, my heart held high in the hopes of catching up to her and telling the young Fallen Angel Digimon my true feelings for her. And yet, now that my plan was in action, and I had the chance to speak my mind…I found that all words I had hoped to speak to her had shriveled up before even leaving my mouth.

Grimacing, I closed my eyes in shame of myself. I was the strongest Digimon in the Dark Realm, and possibly the second strongest, if not the strongest Digimon in the entire Digital World. How the hell can I be able to face foes like Lucemon, Myotismon, and Apocalymon and barely need to strain myself, and yet when it comes to matters of the heart…I choke up and stare at the ground in shame and embarrassment, as though I'm some silly schoolgirl?

Sighing again, I swung my legs over the side of my bed and stood up. Perhaps a quick walk could help me clear my mind of my ramblings, and maybe even bring to mind the words and the confidence needed to finally tell the ravishing beauty that is LadyDevimon the truth of my feelings for her.

I quickly walked over to the bathroom within the guestroom and turned on the sink, splashing hot water on my face to help wake myself even further. I stared at myself for a moment, looking over my reflection. My mask was gone, taken off before I'd even settled down to sleep, so I was able to get a good look at myself. My features were very human-like; in fact, I probably appeared more like a simple human being than even Myotismon did. The only thing that seemed off with my face was the large 'x' shaped scar on my forehead that cut across my eyes. The symbol of betrayal and banishment; all Devimon carry it. It shows that, no matter what we do with our lives, we will always be of the Dark Realm, cursed to live in damnation for the rest of our lives.

Though the scar had brought a frown to my face, I quickly shook it away and replaced it with one of my confident smirks. Even though I was damned, I was more than able to change my destiny. I was one of the few Devimon Digivolutions out there that stood beside the Digidestines and the Golden Council of Order (even if the Council was completely useless). So, in the end, my life had turned out for the better. If only I could cement it with one last piece…love.

I stepped out of my room, the sweet sting of the winter wind rolling through the hallways biting at my cloak. My ever-present smirk seemed to sharpen as the wind licked my body, and I continued down the hall. I allowed myself to wander aimlessly, both in body and mind. No sense in deciding where to go if you have no true destination set. I pondered over simple things; the Council, the Dark Realm, LadyDevimon of course, but mostly I found myself thinking of my days as a little DemiDevimon, still travelling the world with our small team.

Back at the beginning, there had just been three of us. There was me, WinterNekomon, and Beelzemon. Back then, Beelzemon was still just an Impmon, and one bad-attitude little guy too, and WinterNekomon was a SnowKitmon, a small ice-like kitten Digimon that was feistier than she appeared. For the longest time ever, the three of us were the only ones travelling. Beelze and I met when a group of Ogremon were attacking a small Digimon Village. Surprisingly, we both had the same idea to save the Digimon at the same time. We made a great pair, especially when we Digivolved for the first time during that fight. Fifty Ogremon verses two Devimon…biggest mistake of those Ogremon's lives. After that, the two of us stuck together, and it wasn't long after that when we met WinterNekomon and began the real journey.

I smirked, thinking back to the annoying cat-woman-like Digimon. She had been the largest pain during the journey. Like us, she had a humanoid figure as she digivolved, and it was a serious pain. Always taunting and teasing us, poking fun at our short comings and starting fights between me and Beelze. It was a wonder we even made it through the first year without one of the two of us trying to kill her in her sleep. Still, she was nice to travel with, even if she got on our nerves.

My ponderings and wanderings continued, and I was so deep into my mind that I didn't notice my surroundings. I just kept my head in the clouds…that is, up until I rounded a corner, and quickly crashed back to earth…and into a certain Ice Digimon.

"Augh!" we both cried, stumbling back as we knocked into each other. Grimacing, I held my forehead and looked to see who I'd run into. To my surprise, standing before me was the very Digimon I had been thinking about not even two seconds ago; WinterNekomon.

"Neko?" I muttered, stepping back. "What are you doing out?" The feline-humanoid Digimon fiddled with her fingers, looking down at the ground, her ears lowered a bit. I smirked internally a bit; while she had her down sides, even I had to admit she looked cute sad or nervous. But, why was she?

"Well," she said, still staring at the ground, "I just couldn't sleep. Strange, haven't had that problem since first living in this castle…but all of the sudden, it's back." I nodded, remembering how, on our first journey, she'd always be tossing around on the mats we'd sleep on, sometimes kicking either me or Beelze in the head. It had gotten so bad that we ended up tying her to a tree one night just to keep from getting black and blue in the morning…even though when she woke up and saw what we did we ended up black and blue anyway…Quickly I gave Neko a bright smile and patted her shoulder.

"Ah, don't worry about it, Neko. I was actually having trouble sleeping too. My mind's just a bit too restless right now." Neko looked up at me, her bright yellow eyes sparkling.

"Really? Maybe we can help each other out with it. If you need anything, you know I'm always glad to help out, Phantom." She smiled and gave me one of her dazzling smiles. "Besides, we both still owe each other from that battle at Myotismon's castle."

"FOR THE LAST TIME NEKO, I DO NOT OWE YOU ANYTHING!" I shouted, red in the face as I thought back to the 'favor' we owed each other for. I still couldn't get the thought out of my mind. Never again, never again. "But, if you could help, that would be great."

"Awesome!" Neko cried, already sounding better. "What do you need help with?" I smirked, the wheels turning quickly in my head. I knew this was risky…but it was the only way I could figure it out.

"Neko…I want to tell LadyDevimon how I feel for her…but I can't figure out how. Maybe…can you help me out?"

For a second, I thought I saw something flash through her eyes; jealousy, fear, sadness, anger, I couldn't quite pin it down; it could have been all of those thoughts, or none of them. Yet, as soon as it had appeared, it left, and Neko gave me another smile. Not as strong, but a smile none the less.

"Sure, Phantom. I'd love to help you out with Lady." I smiled, giving the younger Digimon a small hug out of thankfulness.

"Thanks Neko, I knew I could count on you!" And with that, I turned around and headed back to my room, looking forward to a good night's rest. Hopefully, once I woke up, we'd find an answer that would solve this whole problem with ease.


	6. Chapter 6

_HELLO EVERYONE! SHADOW HERE! I'LL BE TAKING OVER THE COMMENTARY TODAY WHILE LDS IS IN THE HOSPITAL FOR...UNKNOWN REASONS...STOP PRESSURING ME! OK, I ADMIT IT, I MIGHT'VE KICKED HIM A LITTLE TOO HARD! JEEZE, STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT, READER-SAN!_

**HEY SHADOW!**

_WHAT, LDS?! THE HOSPITAL RELEASED YOU SO EARLY?_

**YEAH, I'M FINE NOW. THE RIBS WEREN'T CRACKED LIKE THEY ORIGINALLY THOUGHT, JUST SOME BRUISING. SO, NOW WE CAN CONTINUE THE STOR-ACK!**

_YAY! YOU'RE OKAY! (shouts as she glomps him)_

**ACK! GET OFF, GET OFF!**

_OOPS! SORRY...A-ANYWAY, LET'S CONTINUE. HERE'S CHAPTER 6! ...YOU OK, LDS...?_

By far the worst night in my life. How could Phantom ask me to help him ask out Lady!? Doesn't he care how I feel? I mean, he doesn't know, but still! I sighed. I can't keep doing this. I can't keep trying to ignore my feelings. I can't keep forcing myself to look away whenever I see the loving look in PhantomDevimon's eyes whenever he sees LadyDevimon. I can't keep living this lie.

All through the night, I flopped about on my bed, barely sleeping, holding this silent war in my head. Do I tell him and risk destroying our friendship? What if things get too awkward? What if this damages the relationship between our two realms? I can't risk losing my realm's closest ally. But, what if it works out? What if he stops loving Lady and loves me instead?

I snorted. Yeah, like that would ever happen. LadyDevimon has it all. She's beautiful, powerful, from his own realm. She doesn't annoy him like I do, even if I've mellowed out now that I digivolved. In fact, he hangs off her every word, whereas when I was traveling with him and Beelzemon they wouldn't take any of my advice till the last second. Face it Neko, there's no way he's switching his affection to you when she's around, and you'd never do anything to her. You're just too damn nice!

"Ok, I have two options." I said aloud. "You can either ignore your feelings, help Phantom win LadyDevimon's heart, and feign happiness for them. Heck, you might even find a new love. Or you can throw caution to the wind and confess your love while risking everything." These options could both end very badly for me. I hate it when someone else holds all the cards!

"I vote for option two, miss."

My heart stopped. I frantically bolted out of bed and whipped around, only to see SnowShadowmon leaning against my wall. I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn't even notice her! "SNOW!" I shouted, then quickly covered my mouth. No need to wait up all the castle's residents.

"You might want to keep it quiet, my Lady. We wouldn't want the rest of your personal guard rushing in here."

I nodded, thinking of my personal guard. SnowGalamon, IceDevimon, IceRenamon, and FrostZeromon. With SnowShadowmon leading them, they were quite the force. "Right," I said, "but what are you doing in here so early in the morning?"

She hesitated. "Because," Snow started the sentence slowly, "I was worried about you. It seems my suspicions were right. You were wondering if you should confront Sir PhantomDevimon, correct?"

Nodding again, I sighed. "How do you always know? Yes, I was. And I don't think I'm going to do it, at least not yet. Not before he confesses to Lady. He deserves that much."

For a while, the room was silent. Then, Snowshadowmon spoke, carefully choosing her words. "Yes, I suppose he does. But my Lady, don't you deserve happiness as well? What if he never does tell her? Will you patiently wait for an eternity? And if she accepts, what will you do then? Find a new love? What if that never happens?"

Pausing, I responded, my voice signaling the end of the conversation. "Snow, I have been asking myself that the entire night." She nodded again, and left the room.

* * *

The morning came fast. Too soon, I was up and eating a solitary breakfast, when who should walk in but LadyDevimon herself. "LadyDevimon." I nodded in her direction, not looking up from my food. "Did you sleep well? Would you like some breakfast?" She only glared at me and, taking a look around to see if anyone was there, stepped closer.

"Alright listen, you need to back off." Slightly surprised, I looked up at her, a cool mask slipping onto my face.

"Back off from what? Or, from who?"

"I think you know who I'm talking about." She hissed, glaring daggers at me. "Stop trying to steal away PhantomDevimon from me." Now the look of surprise stated on my face.

"Phantom? Seriously? You think I'm stealing away Phantom?" Are we talking about the same digimon here?

"Yes, Phantom." She looked at me as if I were defective. "We all know he likes me, so stop trying to steal him. He will never be yours!" Wait, wait, wait, what?!

"You know Phantom likes you? Then why have you never said anything? You're just stringing him along? Is this a fucking game to you!?" I had stood up to full height, only an inch or two below LadyDevimon, but the power oozing from me made up for it, as did the deadly gaze. She was this close to getting kicked through the wall behind her, and that was no empty threat. After all, I didn't become Queen of the Ice Realm just because of good-looks and charms. Still, the devil-woman hissed at me and narrowed her eyes.

"Yes I know, who doesn't? And it's none of your business what I do with his feelings." She spat out the last word so fast you'd think it taste bad. "Which is why I will repeat myself. Stay away from PhantomDevimon."

Not waiting for my response, she sauntered out of the room, leaving me fuming. Does this bitch honestly think I would let her play with Phantom like that? Well, I told myself, she's got another thing coming.


	7. Chapter 7

**WELL, MY BANDAGES ARE ALL GONE, AND THE BRUISING IS DOWN TO HALF OF WHAT IT WAS WHEN SHADOWKAT WAS UPDATING THE STORY LAST TIME…LOOKS LIKE IT'S TIME TO UPDATE!**

_OHHH! I'M SO EXCITED! WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN, LDS-KUN?!_

…**SHADOW…IT'S YOUR CHARACTER, RIGHT?...WOULDN'T YOU KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING TO IT? BESIDES, I SENT YOU AN EARLY COPY SO THAT YOU COULD MAKE CERTAIN WAS GOOD TO GO…**

_(blushes) SH-SHUT UP! YOU KNOW HOW I AM WHEN I FANGIRL!_

**OH YEAH…ANYWAY, ON TO CHAPTER SEVEN OF ****LOVE IN A WINTER REALM****!**

* * *

I paced back and forth anxiously, the look of worry as plain on my face as the large bouquet of bright red and dark black roses that I gripped tightly in my right hand. I had asked Neko to tell Lady to meet me out in Icegarde's flower gardens at noon today. That had been over five hours ago, and it was almost three in the afternoon. I grimaced, pacing back the way I came, vaguely noticing the small path I had created in my tenseness.

"Wh-where is she?" I muttered softly, sitting down at the cold stone bench within the garden, looking over the bouquet in my hands. I sighed, and cast my gaze into the garden around me.

When Neko had mentioned the Icegarde flower gardens to me, suggesting I meet Lady there to tell her what I feel for her, I was absolutely confounded. A garden in the Kingdom of Winter? How could anything grow in there besides frost and icicles? I was quickly surprised, though, when I walked in earlier and saw the magnificent clearing before me. Tall hedges of roses of every color imaginable rose like walls throughout the garden, the leaves and petals turning a paler shade as the soft touch of frost grew over the large flowers. A fountain stood in the center of the garden, the pale blue water cascading slowly and tranquilly over stones and statues, while streams of icy-blue liquid spun off the top and showered down into the pool below. I could see large ice trees growing in a corner, bearing the succulent frost fruits of the Ice Realm, and around them, a valley of Snow Azaleas and Winter Lilies sprung up out of the frosted grass and painted the yard with vibrant hues and colors.

In a word, it was beautiful.

I was jogged from my thoughts as the sound of footfalls from the hall just in front of me crept into my ears. Quickly I stood up, and looked over the bouquet in my hand and my physical appearance. Was I doing the right thing here, telling Lady how I felt? What if I messed up, or she didn't reciprocate my feelings? A bubble of worry and fear rose up in my chest, and I felt myself beginning to sweat small beads that rolled down my forehead, which was still unmasked. Wait…crap! I forgot my mask!

As the climaxing trepidation within me began to reach monumental levels, the footfalls came to a stop, and I could feel a presence at the far end of the garden. I could feel their eyes cutting down at me from behind, but the feeling in those eyes, I could not tell. Then, after a moment, I heard a voice I had not been expecting.

"Phantom? Why are you still here?"

Slowly, I turned around, my anxiety disappearing strangely, like smoke through an open window. Standing just behind me, dressed in her usual white, silver, and pale blue battle gown, was WinterNekomon, staring up at me with a look of mild curiosity. I sighed to her, nodding slowly as I moved back to the stone bench and stared at the garden around me.

"Well, she hasn't shown up yet. I hope nothing bad happened to her, I've been trying so hard to tell her how I feel and now…" I sighed, looking over at Neko through the curtain of my white hair that had suddenly fallen in front of my face. I smiled and shook my head in self pity. I saw Neko bite her lip out of the corner of my eye, and then, slowly, the cat-like queen of the Ice Realm slid onto the bench next to me and looked down at the ground.

"I'm sorry, Phantom. I told her to meet you here at twelve...I don't know why she wouldn't show up." I nodded, sighing.

"You did all that you could Neko, besides capturing her and dragging her here by force, but I would never want that. I don't know, I guess I'm just not lucky right now." Sighing, I looked down at the ground and closed my eyes. I was exhausting myself trying to tell Lady how I felt for her, and coming up with nothing worthy of rewards. I seriously stunk at finding love.

Neko stared at me for a moment or two longer. Then, suddenly, she jumped up and pulled my arm, forcing me to my feet. "Well, I'm not just going to sit there, feeling bad about yourself and waiting on a girl who for some reason decided not to show up! Come on, you are coming with me, Phantom!" Smirking, the Ice Queen turned back to the hallway and dragged me behind her with the strength of one-hundred SkullGreymons.

"W-wait, Neko!" I shouted, trying desperately to keep up with her. "Wh-where are we going?" The feline Digimon shot me a smile and kept on running.

"You'll see, Phantom!" she shouted, running even faster down the hall. Sighing, I just stumbled behind her and let her lead me away, the bouquet of flowers falling from my hand.

* * *

"…you can't be serious, Neko…" I muttered, staring up at the building we had stopped at. The Digigirl standing beside me gave me a bright smile, nodding, and moved towards the front doors.

"Oh, you know I am, Phantom!"

I frowned, and looked up at the sign. "But…a karaoke club?"

Neko sighed at me and nodded, grabbing my hand and pulling me hard. "Yeah, a karaoke club! The best in the Ice Realm, too, Blizzard Beats!" I groaned, shaking my head as the excited Digimon pulled me to a table.

"Neko, I am not going to go sing!"

"Of course you are, Phantom!" she exclaimed, smiling brightly as a SnowLilymon handed us the list of the drinks at the bar and the list of songs the DJ could play. Instantly, the Ice Queen grabbed the song list and began scouring the paper for a good song. "If I remember right, when we were just rookies, you would almost always sing when you were sad, or needed to get something off your mind. I figured, hey, you need cheering up now, so this should work!"

I sighed, looking back down at the table. The problem with having best friends to help you out is that they always know your worst secrets. And Neko knew more of my secrets than anyone else, including Beelze. My love for singing was just the tip of the iceberg. However, no matter what she said, I wasn't going without a fight.

"No, Neko," I said, frowning, "I am not going sing, no matter what you do." As soon as I said those words, I knew I would regret it. Almost in the blink of an eye, Neko's face changed from one of glee to one of sadness. Her bottom lip was stuck out slightly, her two feline ears were folded down against her head, and her large eyes stared up at me, small tears forming in the corners. I grimaced, slowly staring into the abysmally deep, sad eyes. The battle was over before I'd even really had the chance to fight. "Oh all right!" I shouted in defeat, before I fell further into the power of her soft kitten-eyes stare.

Instantly, the bright smile returned to her face, and the Kitten Digimon grabbed my hand, pulling me to the stage. "Oh, I knew you'd come around, Phantom! Come on, come on, I know you're just dying to sing!"

Slowly, I nodded to her and took a look at the list of songs. However, one stuck out above the others, and a small grin found its way onto my face. "Hey, DJ, could you play Track 27?" I asked, smirking. The WhiteElecmon at the turntable gave me a thumbs-up, and the song began.

_Friday Night (Eric Paslay)_

"I don't wanna be your Monday morning heading back to work,  
Stuck in traffic going slow, nothing on the radio;  
I don't wanna be another chore to check off on your list  
Of things you gotta do and places that you gotta go.  
Oh no…

I wanna be your Friday night sweet ride,  
Summertime sunshine barefoot in the moonlight!  
I wanna be your jackpot, hot spot,  
Wide open road in a candy apple rag top!  
I wanna set you free,  
I wanna take you high,  
I wanna be, wanna be your Friday night!

We can rock together, let the good times roll forever,  
Fill up our cup, make a memory, drink it up!  
I don't wanna miss another minute, wanna live it with you;  
Beneath the blue sky fallin' in love…

I wanna be your Friday night sweet ride,  
Summertime sunshine barefoot in the moonlight!  
I wanna be your jackpot, hot spot,  
Wide open road in a candy apple rag top!  
I wanna set you free,  
I wanna take you high,  
I wanna be, wanna be your Friday night!

Ah one! Two! Three! Four!

I wanna be your lemonade in the shade  
Money in your pocket cause you just got paid babe…

I wanna be your Friday night sweet ride,  
Summertime sunshine barefoot in the moonlight!  
I wanna be your jackpot, hot spot,  
Wide open road in a candy apple rag top!  
I wanna set you free,  
I wanna take you high,  
I wanna be, wanna be your Friday night!

Oh, your Friday night!  
Yeah, your Friday night!

Oh, Fr-Friday night!"

As I finished my song, I turned to the crowd, a broad grin on my face. Man, I'd forgotten how epic it felt to be singing. Or how awesome it felt to hear the roar of a crowd, cheering me on. Smiling, I looked to Neko, who was right at the head of the group, cheering louder than anyone else. I smiled back to her and shook my head. Maybe I would have fun tonight after all…


	8. Chapter 8

_WELCOME BACK, PEOPLE OF THE INTERWEB, TO LOVE IN A WINTER REALM! HOW WAS YOUR HOLIDAYS? GET ANYTHING GOOD, 'CAUSE I SURE DID! IT WAS AMAZING!_

**(sigh) NO NEED TO BRAG SHADOW. AND HEY, WHY THE HECK DID YOU TAKE SO LONG!? THESE PEOPLE WANTED A CHRISTMAS CHAPTER!**

_AHH, YOUR RIGHT… (throws herself at your feet) I'M SO SORRY READERS! I'M A HORRIBLE PERSON! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I APOLOGIZE FROM THE DEEPEST PART OF MY HEART! HERE, TAKE A FREE NEW YEARS CHAPTER! PLEASE ENJOY CHAPTER 8 OF LOVE IN A WINTER REALM! FORGIVE ME PLEASE!_

* * *

_Neko's pov_

"That bitch. I told her to go to the garden! Don't give me that look Snow! I really did tell her! Why the heck didn't she go!? What was so important, just answer me that!" In my room, ranting to SnowShadowmon was one of my favorite hobbies. Snow always listens. Snow isn't like some evil maniacal digimoness who blows off dates with one of the best, nicest, most handsome, charming…what was I talking about again? Oh right!

"Seriously Snow, why didn't she go? She is trying to be with him, right? I mean, I am happy to have gotten the chance to be alone with Phantom, but seriously! One second she's all over him, then the next, nothing! Just what is LadyDevimon trying to pull here?! "

SnowShadowmon just shrugged her shoulders, and stood from my bed. "I have no idea, My Lady. But I know how to find out." Snow had on her evil grin, the one she always used when plotting something. "Just leave it all to me, My Lady." She exited my room in her usual way, leaving me alone to think of what she may be planning.

_Snow's pov_

Oh this was going to be fun. It was time to utilize one of my greatest talents, spying on others from the shadows. Of course, My Lady knows nothing about this. How else was I supposed to know everything that goes on in this castle? I'm not exactly all knowing. Really, I'm surprised no one's figured this out. Shadow is in my name, and I'm a ninja for Icemon's sake!

Now, onto finding the target. Quickly looking around me, I slipped into the nearest shadow. From there, I made my way to LadyDevimon's room. To further explain this movement, I was a blob of shadow sliding around on the floor, rolling into a corner or such whenever someone crossed my way. It's an effective way to travel.

I finally made it to LadyDevimon's room and, without hesitation, slipped under the door. Guest room number 3 was about the size of a one story house. There was a queen sized bed, a dresser, a vanity, walk-in closet, attaching bathroom, and a terrace that overlooked the gardens. It was really a beautiful room, if a bit small.

LadyDevimon was in her room, of course. Sitting on the bench to the vanity mirror, looking at herself, was a very smug Lady. I stopped myself in the shadow on her dresser, and then stepped out into the open. The scream she gave broke the mirror. "Ah, now we have to replace that," I said casually, like stepping out of shadows was a regular occurrence.

"SnowShadowmon! What do you think you're doing scaring me like that!?"

"Why didn't you go?" I said, ignoring her while she glared. "Lord PhantomDevimon was very disappointed. It's a good thing that my mistress was there to comfort him." I smirked at the even more intense glare she was giving me. This was too easy.

"I see no reason to give you an answer to that question. In fact, the matter of PhantomDevimon's and my relationship is nobody's business. Now if you'll excuse me," Lady got up while shooting me a scathing look, "I have private matters to attend to." With that, she flipped her hair back and walked out of the room. Ha, if that beyotch thought I was going to give up that easily, she had another thing coming.

All right, if she doesn't want to tell me willingly, then I have many other ways to gather information. Slipping back into the shadows, I followed her. I did the same thing, staying with other shadows, and keeping quiet. The route that she was taking led out of Icegarde, towards the Hoar Frost Forest. Briefly wondering what she could be doing there, I followed. At least I would have plenty of cover to spy by. Unfortunately, that also means that I won't be able to see her as well.

I must've followed Lady for about a half-hour before she finally stopped in a clearing. Then, she just sat and waited. The minutes ticked by before anything happened. A brief flash occurred, followed by a mirror of sorts. I moved to get a better view, and what do you think I saw. Why, only HaloSeraphimon, looking through this mirror-portal of sorts. Lady quickly stood and gave a brief bow.

"My Lord," she started. "My status report as you requested. It seems as though PhantomDevimon still suspects nothing of our, I mean, your plans. We have infiltrated Icegarde Castle as per instructions." In the portal, HaloSeraphimon nodded.

"Excellent. Does anyone suspect?" HaloSeraphimon said. LadyDevimon nodded solemnly.

"No, not a soul. WinterNekomon and SnowShadowmon are too wrapped up in this relationship drama to notice a thing. I've already snuck in a quarter of the battalion yesterday. Security is tight, but it's not good enough."

Forgive me for my language Azulongmon, but damn! So that's where she was! This is very big information, I must warn my Lady! But first, I'll need to hear the rest of their plan. "Very good work, Lieutenant. Commence the invasion exactly one week from today. Dismissed!" The portal wavered, then evaporated.

LadyDevimon sighed. "Of course, my love." She then turned, and headed the way she had come.

Once LadyDevimon was gone, I quickly snow traveled to My Lady's quarters, to inform her of this latest development.


End file.
